Making The Switch To Graphite

[Sdub]

Agreed. The days of graphite being inferior to steel are over. It seems like there are more options to fine tune the shaft to actually make a difference in your shots making. That's been my experience. So many options to custom meet your specific needs. Get fit!

 

Edited May 27 by Sdub

[golfmule]

I switched to graphite many years ago. I initially made the switch because I tend to develop tendonitis in my elbows quite easily. I read that graphite shafts may help that and found that they really did help.

[lefty110golf]

Made the switch this year, looking for some lost distance. Went from Wilson D7's with KBS Tour 80 lightweight steel R flex to Ping I530's with the Ping Alta CB Black graphite in SR flex. They are definitely working out so far. A little more distance on the launch monitor along with a better angle of descent.

[chisag]

3 hours ago, MIGregB said:

I'm not far away from looking into new 6 thru W irons and I have enough joint problems that I'll spend the extra money if they can prolong my playing days. It's just that, in my addled mind, if graphite is more accurate than steel, that means graphite is more ridged than steel??? So does graphite still significantly reduce vibration transmitted to the hands??? This being a MGS forum thread (you know, being datacratic and all), does anyone know of a test demonstrating vibration reduction in modern graphite vs. steel? I wouldn't know where to start otherwise I give it a try.

... When I had my first bout of elbow tendinitis I saw a graph from Davis Love III showing the vibration of steel compared to adding shaft dampening Sensicore and then G Loomis graphite shafts. The steel shaft showed a tremendous amount of vibration, the Sensicore shafts had about a 40% reduction in vibration and the G Loomis shafts had about a 80% reduction in vibration. 

... How stout a shaft is and how much torque it has doesn't really affect vibration because it is the material that absorbs the vibration. An x flex 125gm Steelfiber shaft will still have much less vibration than a lightweight r-flex steel shaft. 

[chisag]

4 hours ago, a802313 said:

There also great hybrid options like the GOST from Nippon and steel fiber from aerotech that I would try. They are graphite shafts that have a steel core in them.

 

... Actually the opposite. Steelfiber shafts have a graphite core with steel fibers about the size of a strand of hair, wrapped around the graphite. It is the core that greatly reduces the vibration and the steel winding that prevents ovaling. 

[release]

3 hours ago, MIGregB said:

 

 

I'm talking about its benefit for hand & joint trauma. 

 

 

Ben Hogan said sometime ago, the joy of hitting a golf ball, it travels from the impact up the shaft to the hands and arm, enters your heart.

I would think the vibration travels from golf club to hands/arms to shoulders , spine and to the brain .    My surgeon had warned me of hitting golf balls before fully recovered from my surgery about a couple of months ago.  No golf until June as he told me and my wife, since he understood that there is a good chance for me to slip out and hit a few golf balls before the 5-6 months recovery time is done.

The vibration from hitting golf balls ( especially off the driving range mats) will damage the nerve from hands to the spinal core.  We used to believe hitting several hundred range balls a day in the old days even after we had achieved the goal of the day.  

Over 4 decades of pounding the golf balls, I have all sorts of issues and recently with fluids buildup in the cranial cavity.  The surgeon said there was a good chance the vibration from hitting the golf balls/turf will cause a long term health issue.

My issue was, that I spent too much time on something which I was not good enough to make a living with.

So yes, change to graphite shaft sooner if your budget allows.

The weight of the shaft trumps all other elements in selecting a model to replace  your steel shafts.  

 

[KC Golf]

1 minute ago, chisag said:

 

... Actually the opposite. Steelfiber shafts have a graphite core with steel fibers about the size of a strand of hair, wrapped around the graphite. It is the core that greatly reduces the vibration and the steel winding that prevents ovaling. 

I really need to try these shafts out.  That’s on my to do list.  Since I definitely want to tinker with my Tokomo’s at some point.

[funkyjudge]

11 minutes ago, chisag said:

... When I had my first bout of elbow tendinitis I saw a graph from Davis Love III showing the vibration of steel compared to adding shaft dampening Sensicore and then G Loomis graphite shafts. The steel shaft showed a tremendous amount of vibration, the Sensicore shafts had about a 40% reduction in vibration and the G Loomis shafts had about a 80% reduction in vibration. 

... How stout a shaft is and how much torque it has doesn't really affect vibration because it is the material that absorbs the vibration. An x flex 125gm Steelfiber shaft will still have much less vibration than a lightweight r-flex steel shaft. 

I think that DLIII was using G Loomis shafts as well back then, Sam.

[RwsGolf1]

I went to graphite iron shafts two years ago.  After trying just about every shaft (graphite and steel), I settled on Steelfibre by Aerotech.  Maybe a little more expensive but to me they are more stable and are tip stiff…better suited for my game.  I put them in a new set of TM P770 custom fitted and built.  I enjoyed the stability and as others described, easier on the joints so much that I sought out shafts for my woods.  When True Temper purchased the company from the inventor, they quit making shafts for woods but, there are shafts available for Hybrids.  I found the best match for woods was the Black HZRDUS 60 gram.

I will never go back to steel shafts after playing dynamic shafts most of my life.

Edited May 27 by RwsGolf1
Fixed an error

[chisag]

2 hours ago, KC Golf said:

I really need to try these shafts out.  That’s on my to do list.  Since I definitely want to tinker with my Tokomo’s at some point.

... I know I repeat this often, but the best ball strikers in the world play on the LPGA tour. They do not have the raw power to hit 200yd 7 irons and depend on accuracy. JY Ko hit 63 greens in a row using Steelfiber shafts. Obviously her swing gets most of the credit but the next closest streak is Tiger in his prime during his run in 2000 and he hit 29. 

... There are smooth swinging LPGA members using Steelfiber in their irons and very strong hitters like Ariya Jutanugarn. Since these ladies depend on performance to make a living there are obvious advantages to playing them above and beyond vibration. But a reminder for all, Steelfiber's play stout to flex compared to most steel shafts and certainly other graphite iron shafts. Most will need to drop a flex or soft step them a couple times. If you don't have the ability to tinker with them, a fitting is highly recommended. 

Edited May 27 by chisag

[Thoughland2444]

I recently made the switch to the Mitsubishi MMT 125x shafts. I had always been interested in graphite shafts but was always worried they were never heavy enough for my swing speed. Once I found these and put them in my clubs I can so I'm very happy I made the switch. Coming from my X100s I played for years, these shafts have a great loading profile, are just the right weight but I would argue more consistent a feel a bit better than a traditional steel shaft. The vibration dampening is great but you don't lose any feedback, just a smooth solid feel. I would recomend them to anyone, not only that but they look great too if you love the aesthetic like I do.

Edited May 27 by Thoughland2444

[MRDT]

I switched to MMTs this year and it wasn’t as much for the relief as it was for the performance.  I looked the Axioms but couldn’t see enough of a difference for the additional cost per club.  I really enjoy the easy distance and tighter dispersion.

[Beakbryce]

Started with woods. Not much of a difference because the shafts were longer so felt weight didn't change much. Then hybrids. Then irons. The only problem I have found was adjusting my swing because the irons are so light. The upper body still needs to marry with the lower half of the body. The reward for me was the height I can get with my new irons.

[chisag]

7 minutes ago, Beakbryce said:

Started with woods. Not much of a difference because the shafts were longer so felt weight didn't change much. Then hybrids. Then irons. The only problem I have found was adjusting my swing because the irons are so light. 

 

... I started out with Aldila NV Tour shafts that were 130gms with 1.5* of torque that Aldila basically designed for VJ Singh and they were beasts. I was coming from DGS 300's so weight was similar but the NV's were sooooo stout. Then Aldila came out with the NV Pro shafts at 105gms and torque around 2* and they were a much better fit for my swing. Then they released the VS Proto 100 shafts and they fit me even better. 

... Continuing the lighter is better trend, I re-shafted my irons with the VS Proto 85's and they were just too light and my tempo suffered. Seems 95gms is as low a weight as I could go and maintain my tempo.  That was quite a few years ago and I need to spend some time with a set of Steelfiber i80 shafts (Nelly Korda plays them) but the point is we are all different and some are more sensitive to weight than others. Obviously more than a few have found success with shafts weighing less than 70gms while others can't go under 100gms. So I highly recommend demoing many different weights if you have that option and of course a fitting would be ideal. 

[KC Golf]

54 minutes ago, chisag said:

... I know I repeat this often, but the best ball strikers in the world play on the LPGA tour. They do not have the raw power to hit 200yd 7 irons an depend on accuracy. JY Ko hit 63 greens in a row using Steelfiber shafts. Obviously her swing gets most of the credit but the next closest streak is Tiger in his prime during his run in 2000 and he hit 29. 

... There are smooth swinging LPGA members using Steelfiber in their irons and very strong hitters like Ariya Jutanugarn. Since these ladies depend on performance to make a living there are obvious advantages to playing them above and beyond vibration. But a reminder for all, they play stout to flex compared to most steel shafts and certainly other graphite iron shafts. Most will need to drop a flex or soft step them a couple times. If you don't have the ability to tinker with them, a fitting is highly recommended. 

Thank you for your advise.  

[Shapotomous]

I wanted to make the graphite shaft search a winter project but life got in the way and I didnt have time to do a proper search and test.  Now I am hitting the irons with the PX LZ 6.0's so well I don't want to make an in season change.  I will probably wait until late fall to start the search.

Steelfiber, MMT, Axiom, Accra and a few others are on the 'short' list to try.

Edited May 27 by Shapotomous

[Flanpro]

I’m a Ping guy - I know I took the blue pill a long time ago - and I recently was fitted for G430 irons with Arcos CB shafts. During the fitting I tried steel and graphite and ended up with more  distance and better dispersion with the graphite. One of the most noticeable parts of the fitting was how much better my tempo was with graphite - a big bonus 

I know graphite is not for everyone (another reason for fitting) but if you can get results with a good tempo that’s a big benefit for me

[NHRon]

I'm playing steel right now, but they're what I consider the most graphite-feeling steel shafts in golf (Nippon 950GH Neo in regular). My prior set had the original version of these shafts in stiff, and I felt the same way about them. It's the reason I bought that set (they were the "off the rack" stock shaft).

I recently put an Excaliber Rapid Taper 75 in a Cobra King Utility 4 iron and I've hit some of the best 4 irons I've ever hit in my life with it. It's made me start thinking about reshafting my entire set of irons with this shaft.

It's also reinforced an opinion that I've held for a long time, that eventually even touring pros will be playing graphite in their irons (e.g., Matt Kuchar has made a ton of money playing Aerotech Steelfibers). Graphite shaft manufacturers are already getting to the point where they can match the shot to shot consistency of steel, even at tour level swing speeds. Once they combine that with customizing the entire bend profile of a shaft fitted to an individual's complete golf swing (i.e., where and how much the shaft gets loaded at every point in the swing) they'll have an advantage that steel shafts won't be able to match.

[GolfSpy_APH]

Wow... incredible responses! Thanks all!

[pgaejw]

As a PGA Professional I have been playing graphite shafts thru out my set for nearly 40 years. Today’s graphite is much different than it was years ago.  It is superior to steel in nearly every way… lighter, can have greater torsional resistance, tighter shot dispersion, precise trajectory control and added distance with superb feel.  The only negative is that the best shafts are more expensive.  Great product, highly recommended. 

[itsteetime]

In my early 40s - 1994, I was practicing 4 or 5 nights a week, playing 2 or 3 times a week and hitting 100 or more balls a night. I started getting soreness in my elbows.  I was ready to upgrade my clubs and talked to my instructor, not affiliated with a golf store, about my elbow pain. He suggested that I might try graphite shafts. I went to my local superstore, Carl's Golfland in Pontiac, Michigan, and tried several different brands and settled on Ben Hogan clubs with Regular flex shafts. Within a week, my elbow pain was gone. I've not considered any other shafts since.

[RuttyB]

I went to graphite in 2019. Won’t be going back to steel. I love to smoothness and feel. To me, the graphite shafts let me know a lot more about my pure strikes and miss hits than steel ever did.

 

[Markfalto]

Funny I've been fitting for 20 years now that's when Graphite shafts were starting to show up as an alternative to steel. Back then only women or seniors would consider being fit for graphite, that all changed about 10 years ago when different shaft manufacturers started making quality shafts. That's when all fairway woods and hybrids switched from steel to all graphite. Even then it was difficult to convince people to switch from steel to graphite, excuses were, to flimsy and whippy, even though they were the same stiffness and torque, the one excuse I still don't understand is, I can't feel when I miss hit it, (what that awful vibration up your arm) I would just look at them like, ok YOU just made a terrible swing and you want feed back from the club telling you that you did? Then they would admit that graphite did feel better on miss hits, but still stay with steel! Another one would be, if I went graphite I would be laughed off the course, I would say well do you have a driver with graphite, a fairway wood, a hybrid with graphite, they would say yes but in my irons it's different. My comment back was always and still is, (do you know that when it was changing over from hickory shafts to steel shafts they were wrapping the steel with a wood looking tape to make them look like hickory because people were reluctant to change) Do you think the same thing is happening now with steel to graphite? Anyways it is getting easier to convert people than it was back then, but there's always the hold out! I think once we see more pros playing graphite in their irons the switch will be massive and it will be hard to find a set of irons in steel anymore, just like drivers, fairway woods and hybrids now,

Time will tell

[Notjackdaniels22]

7 minutes ago, Markfalto said:

Funny I've been fitting for 20 years now that's when Graphite shafts were starting to show up as an alternative to steel. Back then only women or seniors would consider being fit for graphite, that all changed about 10 years ago when different shaft manufacturers started making quality shafts. That's when all fairway woods and hybrids switched from steel to all graphite. Even then it was difficult to convince people to switch from steel to graphite, excuses were, to flimsy and whippy, even though they were the same stiffness and torque, the one excuse I still don't understand is, I can't feel when I miss hit it, (what that awful vibration up your arm) I would just look at them like, ok YOU just made a terrible swing and you want feed back from the club telling you that you did? Then they would admit that graphite did feel better on miss hits, but still stay with steel! Another one would be, if I went graphite I would be laughed off the course, I would say well do you have a driver with graphite, a fairway wood, a hybrid with graphite, they would say yes but in my irons it's different. My comment back was always and still is, (do you know that when it was changing over from hickory shafts to steel shafts they were wrapping the steel with a wood looking tape to make them look like hickory because people were reluctant to change) Do you think the same thing is happening now with steel to graphite? Anyways it is getting easier to convert people than it was back then, but there's always the hold out! I think once we see more pros playing graphite in their irons the switch will be massive and it will be hard to find a set of irons in steel anymore, just like drivers, fairway woods and hybrids now,

Time will tell

Super interesting! I'm curious, how does one become a fitter? 

[William P]

Made the switch to graphite upon returning to the game last summer. Primary reason was to reduce vibration which was causing hand and shoulder pain. Was fitted into the Steel Fiber i95 shafts and haven't looked back. Safe to say I will not go back to steel. 

Still playing my older Vokey wedges with steel shafts but will be replacing those this summer and they will also be graphite shafted.

@MIGregB I would give serious consideration to getting fitted into graphite if wear and tear on joints is an issue for you.

[FmrCaddie13]

I went to graphite for two years. As I hit age 49 and was (and still am) playing 60-70 rounds a year I thought it would be easier on my body. Went from KBS 130X to Steelfiber X flex. Shot shape went from a high cut to a draw bordering on a hook. Could never get comfortable with the change in ball flight and didn't like the feel either. Felt like I lost valuable feedback. Went back to steel and now play Dynamic Gold S300 120s at age 51. The light weight and flex are a little gentler on me, but with a feel and ball flight I prefer. I know a lot of people love and swear by graphite iron shafts but I am not one of them. Feel like I lost 2+ years of golf trying to acclimate.

[GolfSpy_APH]

7 hours ago, FmrCaddie13 said:

I went to graphite for two years. As I hit age 49 and was (and still am) playing 60-70 rounds a year I thought it would be easier on my body. Went from KBS 130X to Steelfiber X flex. Shot shape went from a high cut to a draw bordering on a hook. Could never get comfortable with the change in ball flight and didn't like the feel either. Felt like I lost valuable feedback. Went back to steel and now play Dynamic Gold S300 120s at age 51. The light weight and flex are a little gentler on me, but with a feel and ball flight I prefer. I know a lot of people love and swear by graphite iron shafts but I am not one of them. Feel like I lost 2+ years of golf trying to acclimate.

As with anything, definitely not for everyone or all. Glad you found your preference though and we're able to recognize the change even if it took down time.

For my swing I'm not overly aggressive which lends itself well to graphite.

[MarcB11]

I switched 2.5 years ago. It took me almost a year to adjust. I was fitted for Recoils in a set of P790's. Price would have been over $2000CDN for the set. There was a demo set of PXG's with stock MMT's on sale at the fitting place so I tried them. The numbers were so close to the recoils/P790's and the price was right, $900CDN. I am very happy with my decision and the performance has been great!

Edited May 28 by MarcB11

[DCXMIKE]

I started playing graphite shafted irons 20 years ago as an accommodation to carpal tunnel in both hands.   The reduction in vibration was a godsend.   Then there was the performance.  I have never seen an appreciable increase in dispersion in the hands of a 10 handicapper.   

I just got a fresh set of Mizuno JPX with Recoil shafts and they are terrific.   There was no upcharge from lightweight steel so it becomes strictly a performance and feel discussion.   And these sticks pretty much hit the ball pin straight.

[vandyland]

11 hours ago, FmrCaddie13 said:

I went to graphite for two years.

Did you get fit into those or did you just take a flier? I found that there were very noticeable differences between Steelfiber, MMT, Axiom and LA Golf even all in the same weight class. For me, there is no chance I could get along with MMT, LA Golf/Steelfiber would be ok but Axiom was better than my current steel shaft and the other steel shaft I was fit into (Nippon Modus 130X). By better, I mean peak height and dispersion. 

This is a VERY well timed topic @GolfSpy_APH as I went through an extensive shaft fitting trying to find a graphite shaft I liked better than steel (forearm/elbow issues starting to surface). I am 40 years old, like a shaft between 120-130g and swing a 7 iron about 92 mph. Like many have stated, my only experience with graphite shafts was the stock shafts in a set of Cobra Oversized shafts from like 2007. They were like fly fishing rods, capable of spraying the ball EVERYWHERE. The Axioms I hit were out of this world stable but the feel was so much smoother. Granted, you have less feedback but I can still tell when I mishit a shot. I would think they really shine on a 40* morning when you catch one a groove low. Anyway, I had a great fitter and great fitting experience. I am turned off a little by how expensive the graphite shafts are BUT I think graphite has way more optionality than steel. What I mean by that is graphite can seemingly handle more "profiles" at a given weight. Or at least that is what I have been told and kind of what I experienced. The Axiom in 130X did not feel super boardy, it flew the peak height I was looking for AND had a tight dispersion. The only close competitor in steel I saw was the Nippon 130X. I am not saying everyone needs to be in graphite but now they have heavy graphite that is quite stable so it seems like they have the brute boys covered. Just hard to get tour pros to change when they are so used to a DG or Project X steel shaft. I have fully converted to thinking shafts are mega important now and that they may be as, if not more, important than heads.